The present invention relates to golf club irons, and in particular to a golf club iron having an improved anchor-back hosel construction.
Conventional golf club irons include a hosel connected at the heel end of the club head which attaches the shaft to the head. The hosels of conventional heads extend downwardly in the direction defined by its longitudinal axis, and the metal or other material forming the hosel is positioned symmetrically about its longitudinal axis. The body of the club head and the hosel of conventional clubs are connected to each other at an interface that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hosel. Normally, the hosels in conventional club heads do not extend over into the rear of the club head but instead end at the point where the heel and rear face of the club head begin.
Most conventional golf clubs have the leading edge of the club face behind the hosel's center line, which is defined as rearward face progression, with the hosel offset from the club face. Sets of golf clubs having an offset usually have progressive rearward face progression in accordance with the loft of the individual irons. With these designs, the hosel lies in front of the ball striking face and the portion of the hosel which protrudes in front of the face may strike the ball if the club face is swung outside the intended swingline plane through the center of the ball. This results is a shot known as a "shank shot" and causes the ball to veer away from the intended target line at a severe angle.
A number of prior art patented golf club heads relate to shankless golf clubs, including my own U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,255, as well as a number of others described in the background of my patent, the description of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The golf club of the present invention includes a hosel with an upper cylindrical shaft socket section and a lower section. These two sections form an angular hosel in its entirety.
The upper section is generally cylindrical in shape and extends upward at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the golf club head body. The upper section includes an elongated opening or socket for accepting a shaft and has a hosel longitudinal axis extending therethrough. The extension of this hosel longitudinal axis is offset from and located outside of the outer periphery of the club head body. In a preferred embodiment, the entire upper section of the hosel is offset from and located beyond the outer periphery of the club head body.
The upper section of the hosel is connected to the club head body through a lower hosel section that starts at the back of the clubhead body and extends over and beyond the heel portion of the club head. This connection can be designed so that the upper cylindrical section can be disposed to set in-line, behind, or beyond the leading edge of the clubface. In all instances, the lower section of the hosel is formed at an angle with the upper shaft section and extends in the same general direction as said club head's longitudinal axis. The lower section of the hosel overlays at least a portion of the rear of the club head body, is directly connected to or integral with the rear surface of the club head body, and projects outwardly and rearwardly away from the rear surface of the club face proximate it. The lower portion of the hosel preferably extends along the longitudinal axis of the club head (an axis which extends from the toe to the heel and through the club head's center of gravity.)
In a preferred embodiment the forwardmost part of the hosel is positioned behind the leading edge of the club face, thereby providing a shankless club head. Preferably, the front portion of the lower hosel section is recessed behind the front of the club head, thereby separating the ball striking face and the upper cylindrical shaft socket section of the hosel. Such an embodiment allows the user to see a clear demarcation between the hosel and the club head's striking face, increasing the likelihood that the user hits a solid shot at the center of the club.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, the lower section of the hosel is extended in a heel to toe direction to provide an elbow between the upper section and the heel of the golf club head. In such an embodiment, the entire upper section of the hosel is offset from and located beyond the outer periphery of the club head body. This elbow spaces the tubular upper section of the hosel further from the heel, provides increased leverage, and decreases the possibility of hitting any ball with the hosel, as opposed to the club face.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the lower section of the hosel originates at or very proximate to the club head's center of gravity and overlays portions of the rear surface and heel of the club head between the point of origin and the upper section of the hosel. In such an embodiment, power from the user can be transferred through this hosel directly to the center of gravity of the club.
As will become apparent, the golf club heads of the present invention provide improved structural integrity and weight and power distribution over conventional clubs. Thus, a dominant feature of the present invention is the unique and innovative hosel structure of golf club head wherein the lower section of the hosel is anchored to the rear face of the club head and provides added mass and power transfer. The hosel construction of the invention, by beginning its formation at the back or rear portion of the club head, increases the stability of the connection between the club head and hosel and produces a more square-faced, solid-feeling stroke when the ball is struck, thereby providing more accuracy and distance.
Club heads with the improved hosel of the present invention produce a more forgiving shot pattern for golf shots which are miss-hits off the center of percussion on the club face because of the additional mass of the club head uniquely located behind the impact area, allowing for increased transfer of energy to a ball at the moment of impact.
Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of an improved iron type golf club head in which the club head's structural and functional characteristics are substantially improved.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an iron type golf club head with a ball striking face which is more clearly defined and distinctively viewed to be separated from the shank or hosel portion of the golf club head, enabling a player to more easily and more confidently line up the golf club head with the ball prior to the execution of the golf shot.
Another object is the provision of a golf club head in which the hosel originates at a position behind the striking face of the club head, improving the connection between the hosel and the club head and imparting maximum energy transfer to a ball being struck.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and obtained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out with reference to the following specification and drawings.
It is understood that the foregoing general description and following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.